July 1, 2017
Gr 3-5-Ten-year-old Fiona's family left the Western Isles four years ago, but now she is returning to them. At her grandparents' home on one of the larger islands, she hears the legends of the selkies, from whom she is said to be descended, and she also hears rumors of her baby brother Jamie, who was lost when her family left the isles. As Fiona explores her island home, she learns that the selkie myths and the stories about her lost brother are intertwined, centering on the now-uninhabited Ron Mor islet and the nearby skerry where the seals sun themselves. If she can return to the cottage on Ron Mor where her family once lived, Fiona hopes that she will see her brother again, and it seems that the seals are mysteriously supporting her efforts. Originally published in 1957, this book was the basis for the film The Secret of Roan Inish. Nostalgic adults are sure to welcome this title's return to publication, though young readers may find that the text has an old-fashioned feel, enhanced by the pen-and-ink illustrations throughout. There's plenty of charm: helpful seals, an abandoned cottage, travels by boat among islands, and a tantalizing hint of magic. Fans of E. Nesbit, L.M. Boston, and Edward Eager are the perfect audience for this pleasantly quaint tale. VERDICT Hand this to readers who enjoy classics featuring animals, with notes of myth and magic.-Misti Tidman, Mansfield/Richland County Public Library, OH
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2018
Ten-year-old Fiona returns to the Western Isles of Scotland to live with her grandparents and (secretly) search for her missing little brother. The story's action and intrigue begin right away, as Fiona is befriended by the chief of the gray seals and learns her clan's selkie history. The setting is vividly evoked, with fantasy elements woven seamlessly into the homey details of domestic island life.
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
November 1, 2017
In this brief 1957 novel (the basis for the movie The Secret of Roan Inish), ten-year-old Fiona McConville returns to the Western Isles of Scotland to live with her grandparents and (secretly) search for her little brother Jamie, who was accidentally left behind on Ron Mor when her family abandoned their islet home four years earlier. The action and intrigue kick in from the very start, as Fiona is befriended by the chief of the gray seals; learns her clan's selkie history; visits Ron Mor and sees mysterious signs of habitation; and finally catches sight of Jamie. As the original Horn Book Magazine review put it, So close to a child's own imaginings is the idea of recovering a long-lost brother or sister that many children will not think of this as a fairy tale at all. The setting is vividly evoked, and the fantasy elements are woven seamlessly into the homey details of domestic island life. Still fresh and immediate sixty years after its publication. martha v. parravano
(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)